Steelers Compensation for George Pickens Makes Sense

The Pittsburgh Steelers shook the NFL's landscape on the morning of May 7, 2025, when it was announced via multiple reports that wide receiver George Pickens was headed to Dallas to join the Cowboys.

In return, the Steelers get a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Cowboys. Along with Pickens, the Cowboys also get a 2027 sixth-round pick from the Steelers.

Pickens was a centerpiece of the Steelers' offense over the last three seasons. In his rookie year, Pickens recorded 801 receiving yards, the second most on the team and only 81 behind Diontae Johnson. Pickens totaled a team-leading 1,140 receiving yards in his sophomore season and 801 receiving yards last season.

As a former second-round pick, three years of experience meant Pickens was on an expiring deal. The Steelers were forced to offer their leading pass-catcher a contract extension, or let the budding star hit free agency after the 2025-26 season.

Considering the Steelers just spent another second-round pick and $150 million on acquiring former Pro-Bowl wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, that contract extension might have never came.

So, in a way, the Steelers got the Cowboys' third-round pick and kept the cap space they would've had to spend on keeping Pickens around. But, here's the kicker — If the Steelers had let Pickens leave in free agency after next season, the team would have received a 2027 compensatory third-round pick anyway.

Of course, Pickens would have to play to a level to earn a contract from another team big enough to net the Steelers the maximum compensatory pick. But that is no guarantee. Pickens totaled 547 yards on vertical routes last season, the second most in the league, only behind Justin Jefferson. The man in third? Metcalf with 523 receiving yards. It's very possible that Pickens's production would take a major hit, and he wouldn't earn a contract big enough to get the Steelers a third-round pick. Making matters worse, the Steelers' starting quarterback is currently unknown.

That compensatory pick would also be later in the third round than whatever the Cowboys' third-round pick would be, but the difference is negligible.

So, the Steelers likely moved up within the 2026 third round and back from the 2027 sixth round to the seventh round to get Pickens out of the building for next season.

For fans who were hoping to get a higher compensation for Pickens, it seems a third-round pick was the best the Steelers could do. The Cowboys can always let Pickens walk in free agency and earn the same compensatory pick on the same contingency, making next season a huge one for Pickens to prove his worth, and their third-round pick they sent to the Steelers a logical payment.

Pickens's concerning conduct has been well documented. In college at Georgia, he built a reputation for shoving over defensive backs in press coverage on the line of scrimmage and getting into scuffles with opposing players after the whistle. That conduct is a possible reason the Steelers even got Pickens in the middle of the second round.

In the pros, the issues continued. Pickens earned several fines for unsportsmanlike conduct in 2023. Then, last season against the Cowboys, Pickens was fined for pulling an opposing player to the ground by his facemask and fined for wearing eye black with an explicit message in the same game.

Later in the season against the Browns, Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary with hopes of someone in black and gold coming down with it, but Pickens was fighting with Browns defensive back Greg Newsome II out of bounds. The next week, in a win over the Bengals, Pickens earned two different unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that kept him from getting ejected, but did earn him over $20,000 in fines.

Then, in the midst of the toughest part of the Steelers' schedule, the AFC North championship on the line, and following consecutive losses to the Eagles and Ravens, Pickens showed up an hour and 25 minutes, after the Steelers had submitted their inactive list, before kickoff on Christmas Day against the Chiefs. Head coach Mike Tomlin asked players to arrive two hours before kickoff. Pickens was fined for taking his helmet off in the loss.

"He's just got to grow up," Tomlin said after the win over the Bengals. It seems the Steelers think that growing up can't happen with them.

I think Pickens's heart was in the right place. Some of his conduct is inexcusable and concerning. But when Pickens would cleanse any evidence he played for the Steelers from his social media or vent his frustrations about the Steelers' offense and his role in it with the media, I could only imagine how I would handle all the pressures Pickens faces as a guy in his early 20s. I likely would have a moment or two I'm not proud of with the weight of carrying an NFL passing attack on my shoulders and constant criticism about my character and play.

But Tomlin is right, he's got to grow up. Those issues are not specific to Pickens, and guys all across the league handle the pressure without acting out how Pickens has. But it's a bad sign for the Cowboys that Pickens couldn't find his way in Pittsburgh.

Historically, Tomlin and the Steelers have succeeded in managing all types of personalities, and when players find new homes, they often don't see the same success.

Most recently, the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, and he's been unable to stick with one team. They traded Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears for a second-round pick, and now Claypool is unable to find a team. In 2022, the Steelers let Juju Smith-Schuster walk to the Chiefs, and he had a productive season, but he has only recorded 260 and 231 yards over the past two seasons in 25 games.

There's also the tales of Antonio Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell, who weren't anywhere close to the same players once they left Pittsburgh.

This is far from an exhaustive list. The Steelers were this way when Bill Cowher was the head coach. Football fans could look back to now in three years and say that Pickens was added to the list, which is bad news for the Cowboys.

On the other hand, maybe Pittsburgh was the wrong environment for Pickens. Maybe he'll thrive in Dallas, put up the same or even better numbers, and limit how much he pays in fines. Everyone loves a success story. Cowboys' fans and players likely weren't Pickens fans after the antics in the 2024 contest, so hopefully, Pickens can rebuild bridges and show real personal and professional growth.

On the Steelers' side, it's arguable the offense hasn't made many steps forward. Metcalf has obviously taken Pickens's spot as their number-one pass-catcher, but his production last season wasn't much greater than Pickens.

As they usually do, the Steelers focused on defense in the recent NFL Draft. Their two picks on the offensive side of the ball, running back Kaleb Johnson and quarterback Will Howard, are the fewest in a single draft since 2016. It's possible Johnson, a very productive college player, elevates the Steelers' ground game, but I'm not expecting Howard to start immediately, considering the Steelers selected him in the sixth round.

Let's optimistically call the wide-receiver room improved. The running back room is partially unknown and the starting quarterback is a mystery — not ideal circumstances for one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season to have heading into next season.

There's still time for the Steelers' front office to figure things out. I thought the Steelers would have the start of the NFL Draft as a deadline for Aaron Rodgers to make a decision, and it seems they have not adhered to that recommendation. The NFL world thought Pickens would head to Dallas before the NFL Draft, and that deal still occurred after the Draft concluded. The pulse of the Pittsburgh Steelers can be hard to read.